In conjunction with the interdisciplinary activities of the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS), a seminar series on topics in mathematical biology will be hosted at NIMBioS every other Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. (unless otherwise noted) in the Hallam Auditorium,
Room 206, Claxton Building, 1122 Volunteer Blvd.
Seminar speakers will focus on their research initiatives at the interface of mathematics and many areas of the life sciences. Light refreshments will be served in the 1st floor visitor breakroom beginning 30 minutes before each talk.
Faculty and students from across the UT community are welcome to join us.

Time/Date: Tuesday, September 24, 2013, 3:30 p.m. p.m.* Location:
Room 105, Claxton Building, 1122 Volunteer Blvd.Speaker:Dr. Shi Chen, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, Univ. of Tennessee
Topic:Understanding individual, temporal, and spatial heterogeneity in directly and indirectly transmitted disease systems in cattleAbstract:
Heterogeneity, such as individual, temporal, and spatial variability, substantially influences disease dynamics in cattle. However, current studies still lack comprehensive understanding and quantitative characterization on this issue. Our study starts from investigating spatial heterogeneity associated with both environmental pathogen concentration and host-environment contact variability in an indirectly transmitted disease system. Then we investigate real contact network in animal population at high spatial and temporal resolution, and link the observed highly dynamic contact network with directly transmitted disease system to highlight the importance of the change in network structure and individual rank. We will also model the interaction between the indirectly and directly transmitted pathways of pathogens and understand how the coupling of these two pathways may alter disease dynamics. Finally, we propose some precautions for misuse and misinterpretation of heterogeneity in disease systems.

*Join us for refreshments at 3 p.m. in the 1st floor visitor breakroom.

NIMBioS is sponsored by the
National Science Foundation
through NSF Award #DBI-1300426, with additional support from
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.